


Bruises and Bitemarks

by Missingwings



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, But Vampire, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Vampires, canon-verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2018-11-23 01:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11392488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missingwings/pseuds/Missingwings
Summary: Being a vampire isn't normal, nor is it something that Cloud really wants anyone to know. The Science Department is known for its... interest in unusual things, after all. As he find himself in the center of several conspiracies, however, that secret becomes more and more difficult to keep.





	1. Tensions

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Asreoninfusion for getting me hooked (again) on the vampire trope. This was created after rereading her fic Bite Me and her link to the Blood Bank manga.

Sephiroth scowled down at the report Tseng had set in front of him. Genesis was lounging on his office couch, the picture of ease, though his stillness gave away his attention on the matter. Angeal leaned against the wall to his right, watching Sephiroth and Tseng with a frown.

“This is the eighth attack in the past two months.”

“Once a week,” Tseng confirmed.

“And you still don’t know what’s causing it?” Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at the Turk.

“Not yet.” Tseng shook his head slightly. “The most common theory is a highly advanced monster. However… a monster that can cast Sleepel, Silence, _and_ Blindness is unheard of. As well as the fact that it hasn’t actually killed anyone yet, all points to an intelligent being with the ability to plan.”

Genesis glanced up from his book. “There’s also the matter of the reason behind the attacks.”

“The mako, you mean.”

“Yes,” Angeal interceded, “the mako. The fact that all the attacks have been on SOLDIERs, and that the attacker apparently has the ability to drain the SOLDIERs’ mako through their bloodstream is… worrying.”

“The news of the attacks has already spread.” Sephiroth crossed his arms, gaze directed at Tseng. “The fact that no one has been killed yet notwithstanding, our men are becoming concerned of the possibility.”

“We’re concerned about the safety of our men, and so are they.” Genesis sent the Turk a coy smirk. “That last thing any of us want is a revolt. So, for the sake of work ethic if nothing else, I rather hope that the Turks can at least confirm that the attacker isn’t an escaped specimen from the Science Department.” He raised a challenging brow.

Angeal sent Genesis a warning glance, but didn’t say anything.

Tseng turned his head slightly to glare at the redhead. “You can rest assured that it is nothing of the sort. We have already investigated the possibility and confirmed the negative.”

“Oh? So you _are_ making progress.”

“Genesis.” Angeal sent him a reproving look. The other subsided slightly.

“Yes, Commander Rhapsodos, we are.” Tseng turned back to Sephiroth. “However, the attacker is careful not leave any traces. There isn’t even any DNA left behind from saliva, despite the healed puncture wounds on the SOLDIERs’ necks. Investigation is slow as a result. When we find something, you’ll be the first to know.” He inclined his head to them before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

Genesis waited until the Turk was gone before he snapped his book closed and sat up, abandoning the pretense of not paying attention. Angeal shot him a look.

“You should stop antagonizing the Turks, Genesis.”

The redhead scoffed. “Not likely.”

Sephiroth sighed and leaned back. “How restless are the men?”

The two Commanders turned to him. “Not as bad as Genesis implied.”

“Mostly they’re curious.” Genesis leaned back, resting his elbows on the back of the couch. “They want to know who’s good enough to get the jump on them. There’s a bit of nervousness, of course, but since nobody’s died yet…”

“There’s no panic yet, thankfully.”

“That’s something at least,” Sephiroth sighed. “It is concerning, however, that there could be something, or someone, who could overwhelm one of our men. Much less eight within two months”

With a sigh, Genesis tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. Angeal grimaced at the floor, crossing his arms in thought. Sephiroth watched them silently, waiting. It was silent in the office as they contemplated the implications of the information.

Angeal broke the silence and let his arms drop to his sides. “Our main priority now is to keep the men from panicking.”

“Our _main priority_ is to keep our men from being killed.”

The brunette sent Genesis a look. “All of them are of legal age and understand the risks involved in being a SOLDIER. We don’t know what’s attacking them, why it’s attacking them, or how to stop it. Until we get the answers to any of those questions, we have to keep the men from actually staging a revolution. If they panic then they create targets and it becomes harder for everyone to remember to take safety measures.”

“Safety measures are well and good against something that they work against.” Genesis gestured frustratedly with his hand. “However considering the lack of effectiveness of all of the measures already in place…” He scowled, crossing his arms.

“Allowing them to panic will only make things worse.”

Sephiroth interrupted before the argument could escalate. “We need to do both. In order to protect our men and find out what is attacking them, we need to ensure that we are not attempting to do so while simultaneously eliminating a revolution. Angeal, talk to the men and keep them as calm as you can. Genesis, see what you can find out from the fanclubs and people on the plate. _Quietly_ ,” he added warningly, “the last thing we need is panic from the masses.”

“Or vicious vendettas and vampire hunts from the fanclubs,” Genesis agreed dryly. “If they think any of us are in danger…”

A shudder ran through the three of them.

“Let’s keep the murder count to a minimum,” Angeal agreed wryly. “What will you do, Sephiroth?”

“I will work with the Turks to see if we can find more leads on the attacker. I do not have high hopes, but perhaps we will get lucky.”

Genesis snorted. “Good luck with _that_.”

Sephiroth sighed and leaned back against his chair. “Well, we will likely need it.” His gaze sharpened. “Whoever the attacker is, they are intelligent and strong. Be on your guard, they are too dangerous to relax around.”

**. . .**

Cloud cursed as he stumbled over yet another cobblestone. Snickers erupted from his teammates.

“Having trouble there, Strife?”

He made a face at his team leader, a man from Icicle Inn named Hendrick, though the effect was somewhat mitigated by his helmet covering most of his face. “As if you guys don’t keep tripping over this stupid road.”

The man smirked at the youngest member of the squad. “Not as much as you do. Although we also don’t have to settle for clothes that are a couple sizes too big for us ‘cause we’re short and scrawny, either.”

“True enough.” The brunette boy closest to Cloud’s age, seventeen year old Jared from Midgar, clapped the blond’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll hit your growth spurt eventually, kid.”

“You’re only a year older than me!!”

Another round of laughter rang through the group.

Cloud rolled his eyes, ignoring the grin tugging at his lips. “Just you wait.” He pointed at them severely. “One of these days I’m gonna be taller than all of you!” The declaration was ruined when he tripped over another cobblestone and face planted into the street.

His squad burst out laughing, several of them doubling over. Jared and Sam, a girl around the same age, leaned against each other to keep from falling over, sides heaving in mirth.

Hendrick tried desperately to hide his amusement as he moved to help the fallen blond, failing miserably. “You alright, Strife?” He bit his lips, trying desperately not to laugh. Cloud appreciated the effort, though he knew that if it had been one of the others he would be the one laughing. He almost wished he could blame them, even if he was the target. He’d been asking for it this time, unfortunately.

“I’m fine,” he sighed, accepting the proffered hand. He noticed his squad leader still biting his lips and rolled his eyes. “Go ahead and laugh, I was asking for that one.”

Hendrick immediately slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his snickers. “D-Damn it, St-Strife,” he choked, “I-I was try-trying to be nice!”

“I’m not!” Isabella, a blonde girl from Costa Del Sol called from around her laughter. “That was awesome, Strife!”

“Yeah, Isa,” Sam (“Call me Samantha and I’ll end you.”), a brunette from Kalm, retorted, moving forward slightly and causing Jared to stumble and fall while still laughing. “Maybe you should do it next!”

Isa, as she preferred to be called (“Isabella is too long and formal! I don’t know what my parents were thinking!”) scoffed. “What, and mess up this beautiful face? Darling, you wound me!” As the only two girls in the unit, they were both a brutal team and cutthroat rivals. And Cloud had been worried about having a chip on _his_ shoulder.

“Not more than that ugly mug wounds _me_.”

“This ‘ugly mug’ as you put it has attracted more boys than you could ever hope for.”

“Obviously, since I’m a lesbian.”

Isa paused, then pouted. “Damn. Forgot about that. Well, I’ve gotten more girls than you too so nya.”

“Considering where you’re from, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t.”

“Ooh, cat fight,” Myde, a blond from Corel, jeered teasingly.

“You wish!” The girls snapped in unison.

Jared fell to his back from laughter. “O-Oh Gaia I love you guys. Never a dull moment.”

Cloud sighed and shook his head, grinning ruefully. They weren’t the worst team he could ask for. “Aren’t we supposed to be patrolling?”

Hendrick coughed to get rid of his laughter. “Yes, yes we are.” He sent Cloud a mock glare. “It’s your fault, Strife. You got us sidetracked.”

“Yes,” Cloud snorted, “it’s my fault I’m on a team with a bunch of immature idiots.”

“Indeed,” Hendrick nodded sagely.

“Hey!”

Cloud and Hendrick exchanged a grin and started walking. The others scrambled to catch up, falling back into place even as they snickered and ribbed each other.

**. . .**

Cloud moaned as he fell face first onto his bed. It was heaven, so soft and comfortable and-

There was a hand on his ass.

“Jared, get your hand off my ass before I cut it off.”

“It’s not Jared.”

“The threat still stands, Isa.”

“But it’s a nice ass.”

“Yes it is. That doesn’t mean I want you touching it.”

“Boo. you’re no fun,” she complained and complied.

“He’s tons of fun.” Cloud could hear the grin in Jared’s voice. “You just have to catch him in the right mood.”

“Jared, stop implying things that didn’t happen.” Cloud’s voice was muffled by the blankets, but his words were audible.

He jumped with a surprised yelp as he felt something slap his backside. “But it’s so much fun!” Jared was laughing as Cloud rolled over to glare at him.

“Hendriicckk!” Cloud whined as the squad leader walked into the room from giving the report.

The man closed his eyes with a sigh. “What _now_?”

“They’re molesting me!”

“Stop molesting the kid. You’re going to get arrested.”

“By _who_? We are the arrestors.”

“You’re not even going to deny it?” Myde hid a grin, even as he asked.

Isa snorted. “He’s not a kid, he’s two years over legal. He is legal, even going by Nibelheim standards. He’s sixteen.”

“Been doing your research, have you?” Hendrick grinned.

“Of course,” she grinned back, hazel eyes bright. “I know everything about all of you.”

“That’s creepy,” Sam commented, flopping down on her bed.

“Well, I was recruited by the Turks.”

“I haven’t forgotten. And, quite frankly, it’s still a little terrifying.”

“I still don’t know why you aren’t a Turk. You have all of the qualities for it,” Myde added dryly.

Isa shrugged. “Flunked out on the physical exam. I couldn’t keep up.”

Sam sent her a skeptical look. “Sure you couldn’t.”

The blonde flashed her a winsome grin.

Cloud snorted softly. It was a conversation that happened every couple of weeks, when she absently reminded them how much she knew. She could say she flunked out all she wanted, they all knew that she was an undercover Turk. Why they bothered to have spies in the Infantry was anyone’s guess. They all pretended that they didn’t know, and she pretended that her cover wasn’t blown. It was easier that way.

“Stop molesting your teammate before I make you do laps. And, unfortunately for all of you, your physicality will have to hold up a bit longer.” Hendrick crossed his arms. “Everyone up.”

There were groans.

“Whyyyy?” Jared whined, head dropping back dramatically.

“Showers. Now. You all stink, and I’m not sleeping in the same room as you all when you smell like that.”

They all groaned again, but dragged themselves to their feet.

Cloud fell dramatically against Jared. “Carry me. I’m going to die.”

“Sure, if it means I get to feel you up on the way there.”

Cloud made a show of considering his options, then decided to mess with him with a smirk. “You know what? I’m to tired to care. Knock yourself out.”

Jared gave him a flat look. “You know, it’s no fun if I’m not going to get a reaction.”

“I know.”

Jared shoved him lightly, ruffling his hair. “You can carry yourself.”

“Damnit.”

Sam laughed and patted his shoulder. “Nice try.”

He sent her a pitiful look, copying a certain Second Class SOLDIER he knew. “Carry me?” he asked hopefully.

She ruffled his hair. “Sorry Cloud, I’m too tired.”

“Damnit.” He blew his bangs out of his face. “I don’t want to walk all the way there…”

“Same,” the others chorused.

“Well, at least I’m not alone.”

“Right?” Myde grinned. “We’re all in this together~!”

They all groaned at the familiar movie reference.

“I hate you.”

“I hate that movie,” Isa muttered. “My little brother loves it, and he played it on repeat. He still texts me lyrics from the songs to piss me off.”

“I’m sorry.” Sam patted her arm sympathetically.

“Stop chit chatting and start walking. The sooner we get done with showers, the sooner we can go to bed.”

“Yes sir.”

**. . .**

Cloud was woken from his sleep by the sound of buzzing right next to his ear. With a quiet groan, he rolled over to see his PHS screen flashing with frantic texts. “Shut up, Zack. Some of us want to sleep.” He muttered sleepily, grabbing the PHS to text those exact words. He paused as he saw the words that Zack was texting. With a sigh, he texted back shortly.

_From: Cloud_

_From what I’ve heard, the “Mako Vampire” only attacks out in the city. It’s never attacked anyone in HQ. You, Kunsel, and Angeal will be fine. You’re not going to get eaten in your sleep or something._

 

_From: Zack_

_But what if?! What if we’re the first?!_

 

_From: Cloud_

_You won’t be. If you’re so scared, crawl in bed with Kunsel or something. The MV only attacks SOLDIERs by themselves, so if you’re with someone else you’ll be fine._

 

_From: Zack_

_But what if we’re not?! What if we’re the exception?!_

 

_From Cloud_

_Then we’ll give you a nice funeral and tears will be shed. I have PT tomorrow and you’re interrupting my sleep. Good night._

 

_From: Zack_

_But Cloouuuddd! What if!!!_

 

_From: Cloud_

_Good. Night. Zack._

He flipped the PHS closed and rolled back over, rolling his eyes. Honestly, Zack was worrying over nothing.

Cloud wasn’t stupid enough to attack someone in HQ.

Besides, he’d just eaten the day before. He wouldn’t be hungry enough to go after a SOLDIER for another week.

**. . .**

“Kuuunseeellll.”

“Hey Zack.”

The brunette pouted at the helmeted Second. “How are you not freaking out over this?!”

“What, the “Mako Vampire” thing? It hasn’t killed anyone yet, and it only attacks once a week. The distance between attacks, in both time and area, implies that it attacks SOLDIERs for their Mako out of necessity to live, not out of any pleasure. Besides, it hasn’t attacked anyone even near HQ. Six of the eight have actually happened in the slums. As long as it doesn’t decide to go on a feeding frenzy, it shouldn’t be much of a threat.”

“C’mon, you have to be curious! You’re the guy who knows everything!” Zack started doing squats. “You have- to want- to know-!”

Kunsel watched him with narrowed eyes (behind his helmet) for a moment before crossing his arms. “You aren’t freaking out in a panicked way. You’re actually excited about this, aren’t you?”

Zack sent him a grin. “It’s like- a movie-! It’s really- interesting-!” He straightened, stretching his arms over his head. “Besides, I’m curious!” He grin stretched. “What do you say that we invite Cloud over this weekend and go on a vampire hunt?”

“I think that’s a bad idea,” came a calm, deep voice from behind them.

“And I think that it won’t work,” Kunsel added.

“Angeal!” Zack yelped, spinning around. Then he sent a pout at his friend. “Kunsel!! C’mon, don’t be a spoilsport.”

“I think that honor would actually go to Angeal, here.”

“Accepted.” The First Class inclined his head, then sent a flat look at his student. “No, Zack. You are _not_ going out on a vampire hunt.”

“Why not?!” Zack pouted, crossing his arms. “Don’t we need to catch it?”

“Yes, we do. However it’s already taken out eight of our men. Five of which have been Second Classes.” he crossed his arms. “It takes them out from behind, without being seen. Two Seconds and an Infantryman don’t stand a chance.”

“Besides,” Kunsel added, “it only attacks people who are out alone. If all three of us are together, it’ll probably avoid us. And splitting up defeats the point and makes us targets.”

Zack frowned, crossing his arms. “Mannnn… this sucks.”

Angeal patted his shoulder. “It could be worse. At least nobody’s panicking.”

“Well, like Kunsel said. It doesn’t seem to be much of a danger at this point.” Zack shrugged. “It hasn’t killed anyone yet.” A grin twitched at the corner of his mouth, though he did his best to keep a straight face. “Though you should probably check on the SOLDIER betting pool. They’ve got bets on what kind of vampire it is.”

“And what does _that_ mean?”

“Y’now, like movies and books.” Zack shrugged casually. “Whether it turns out to be one of those horror movie mutations like out of Evil Residents, the giant dog-things that were turned into giant vampires? Or if it turns out to be like the cryptid vampire guy rumored on the west continent, you know, the one that sleeps in a coffin and has red eyes because he drinks blood? That’s a cool story by the way- or if it turns out to be like on of those teen romance novels where the guy looks normal but incredibly beautiful and sparkles and causes a lucky teenage girl to fall in love. Those are the three bets going around right now, anyway.”

“I, for one, don’t think it’s any of them. One is obviously out.” Kunsel tilted his head in just the right way that showed that he was rolling his eyes. “Whatever it is, it’s obviously blending in well enough to hide. There haven’t been any reports of a new monster, so horrifying and obvious mutation is out.”

Zack nodded thoughtfully. “True. And as hilarious as the third one is, not at all realistic outside the books. Course the second one is pretty unlikely, no one lugs around a coffin to sleep in. Plus, y’know, there’s the whole “burning in sunlight” issue.”

“Not necessarily. The three that have been attacked above the plate have been attacked at night. And there’s no sunlight under the plate.”

“Hmm, true. But then how did it get to Midgar in the first place? The wastes take at least a day to cross, or night in this case, and that counting before and after sunset travels. And there’s nowhere to hide out of the sun in the wastes.”

“Also a good point. Hmm…”

Angeal stared at the two of them. “Well, as long as no one’s panicking,” he sighed, running a hand down his face. Still, he looked concerned.

Well, he was questioning the sanity of his SOLDIERs, but it _was_ a fairly valid concern. At least in this case.

Zack shrugged. “I think most people find it kinda exciting, actually. Like a movie!”

Angeal took a deep breath. “As long as no one’s panicking,” he repeated to himself.

**. . .**

“There’s a what about what?” Genesis stared at him in disbelief. Sephiroth quirked a brow.

“There’s a betting pool about what kind of vampire the Mako Vampire will turn out to be. The top three circulating are the vampires from Evil Residents, the western continent vampire myth, or the teen romance vampires from the newest surge of young adult novels.”

Sephiroth sighed in exasperation, pressing a hand to his face. “Well, at least no one’s panicking,” he eventually said.

“How did I not know about this?!?!” Genesis demanded in disbelief. “I always keep up with the betting pool!”

The General and his brunette Commander both sighed in exasperated and annoyed resignation.

**. . .**

“There’s a _what_ about _what_?!?!” Cloud demanded in disbelief.

Zack’s grin widened. “You heard me.”

Kunsel snorted at his incredulity. “You’re not the first to have that reaction.”

“You’re all insane!”

“You’re not the first to have that reaction either.”

**. . .**

Cloud stared up at the ceiling in his bunk, thinking. Thinking about… well, mostly his rather precarious situation.

He needed Mako to survive, but for some reason it had to be either directly from the Nibelheim reactor (where he had been thrown into a nearby Mako spring by… certain people) or from a diluted source. Why, he didn’t know. But when he’d tried drinking Mako directly from the Junon, and then the Midgar, reactors, he’d been sick for several days afterwards. Of course for him, it was basically the same as getting food poisoning, rather than the far more lethal Mako poisoning, but still. It was highly unpleasant and something he actively tried to avoid. While yes, he could survive off of it, he was sure that death would be a far more pleasant and comfortable experience.

Unfortunately, while monsters did work, the Mako they possessed was _too_ diluted. It was like giving a man dying of dehydration a quarter cup of water. Or a starving man a couple of pieces of bread. While it would, theoretically, keep them alive, it would keep them on the edge of death and make their lives absolutely miserable.

Reactors too pure, monsters too diluted, so there had to be a compromise.

SOLDIERs provided that compromise. They had high concentrations of Mako that was, while diluted to actually keep the SOLDIERs alive, still surprisingly pure. It was pure enough to sate his thirst, concentrated enough that he didn’t have to risk killing them, and diluted enough to keep him from getting sick.

Plus the SOLDIERs were either overconfident or underbudgeted, as very, very few had status resistant accessories. It was almost too easy. Which, when he thought about it, was a bit worrying. It meant that either he had seriously overestimated them, or they were leading him along for a trap. Neither one was particularly pleasant to think about.

He rolled over with a sigh. Time would tell what was to come. For now, he needed sleep for his upcoming mission. It was to be a two week mission to the area around Kalm. The people there had been complaining about a recent increase in the monster population, so ShinRa were sending an Infantry unit (accompanied by a SOLDIER much to his relief). After two weeks, if the problem wasn’t solved, then they would switch out with another unit and so on until the problem was solved. Hopefully, they could finish early and make it back to HQ. Extended missions made him twitchy, if something went wrong he could easily lose himself from hunger enough to accidentally reveal himself. Which was something to be avoided at all costs. He did _not_ want to end up in the labs. He’d heard far too many horror stories to want to go anywhere near that place. Hence why, when he’d failed the psych eval on the cadet test to get into SOLDIER, he’d been perfectly content to join the Infantry and stay there. Much more freedom, much less risky science.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. If he was exhausted in the morning, the trip over would only be worse.

He _hated_ motion sickness.

**. . .**

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah,” Isa nodded at his wide-eyed look as they stood on the airpad waiting for clearance to get in the transport. “I know. I mean, seriously? Removing the SOLDIER from our mission? Not cool. Especially at the last minute. Plus it’s almost a breach of protocol. If the mission required a SOLDIER in the first case, then taking them off basically turns it into a near suicide mission for us. I don’t know what the upper levels are thinking.”

“Yeah…” Cloud responded distantly. _Oh shit…_ He was dead. So very dead. This wasn’t good. _Well, there goes my food source._ He’d have to sneak out and drain a _lot_ of monsters if he wanted to stay in control.

“Alright troops, everyone in the carriers! We’re on a time schedule, so move it!”

“Sir!”

Cloud followed his unit in a near daze as they stowed their gear and buckled themselves in.

“Hey Cloud, you okay?” Myde was frowning at him in concern.

He opened his mouth to automatically respond, then closed it again and dropped his head back with a groan as the air carrier rumbled to life and sent vibrations through him. The combination of his newly formed knot of dread and his rearing motion sickness was not a good one. He let out a miserable moan as his stomach roiled and revolted. Hopefully his meds would fully kick in soon and knock him out. And maybe the two weeks wouldn’t be as bad as he thought they would be.

Yeah, right. The next two weeks were going to be _hell_. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d be able to peacefully starve to death.

If not, he would probably go feral.

“I hate my life.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon time!
> 
> Each SOLDIER Class has its own floor for barracks/apartments, and Second and Third Classes have shared apartments. Like college dorms, sort of. Third Classes are four to an apartment, four bed one bath a living room and a kitchen. Second Classes are two to an apartment, two bed one bath, a living room and a kitchen. First Classes, of course, have their own apartments to themselves. The 48th floor is for Third Classes, 50th is for Second Classes, and 60th is for First Classes. In the five years between Sephiroth “dying” and the beginning of the OG the remaining First Classes (and many Second and Third Classes) were either killed or moved, and SOLDIER became much much smaller and more… elitist… and was limited to the 49th and 50th floors, and the 60th floor was repurposed and turned into the buffer floor you see in the OG.
> 
> Hence why Cloud doesn’t need a keycard to get to Zack’s room, just to get inside. And, well, knocking works just as well at that point.

Cloud groaned, stumbling into a wall. He felt like his stomach was burning and his head was filled with fog. His throat was parched, as though he hadn’t been drinking three liters of water a day for the past week in hopes of tricking his body into thinking he was fine. He hadn’t “eaten” a decent “meal” in two weeks, just a monster every couple of nights, and he could easily feel the effects of it. He’d managed to pass it off as a bug to his teammates, as well as motion sickness, but he needed Mako. Now.

There was no way he could hunt, though. He was too weak to even think of casting one spell, much less three. Which left him one option.

He stumbled into the (thankfully) empty elevator, and pressed the button for floor 50. Slumping against the wall, he stared hazily at the elevator numbers.  _ 35, 36, 37, 40, 42, 43, 45, 48, 50 _ . The elevator doors opened with a soft  _ ding _ , and Cloud shoved himself off of the wall and out of the elevator before the doors could close. He dragged himself down the hall, keeping his hand on the wall for balance as the world spun and his breath hitched. He collapsed against the wall outside the right door for a few moments, catching his breath and gathering his strength.

With a deep breath, he pushed himself off the wall and in front of the door. He paused for a moment and gave another half-hearted attempt to clear the heavy fog from his head. It didn’t work, of course, and he gave it up as a lost cause. As he dragged his hand up to knock on the door, he felt a slight niggling sensation in the back of his mind saying that this might not be the best idea, that something with the situation was off. He brushed it off and knocked on the door, hand heavy with exhaustion.

He only had to wait for a few moments before he heard heavy footsteps dashing down the hall in the apartment, and the door swung open. Zack lit up as he saw who it was, though his grin melted away into concern as he took in Cloud’s appearance.

“Cloud? Are you okay?”

“Can-” Cloud faltered, swallowing against his dry, scratchy throat. “Can I come in?”

Zack’s frown of worry deepened. “Yeah, of course.” He shifted over so Cloud could slip in past him, and closed the door as soon he did. “Cloud? What’s wrong, did something happen? You look awful. Kunsel’s out on a mission but I know some first aid and stuff if you’re hurt or something. You’re not, right?”

Cloud shook his head and swallowed again as he turned to face the SOLDIER Second. He could smell the sharp tang of Mako, beyond Zack’s normal deep, woody scent which was intoxicating enough on its own. A shudder ran through his body, and he lunged forward.

Zack made a surprised noise as he caught the flying blond. “Cloud-?” The boy reached up and grabbed the upper portion of Zack’s shirt, tugging on it to pull him down. Zack followed the motion in bewilderment, wondering if Cloud was having trouble talking or-

His thoughts were abruptly cut off with a gasp as Cloud jerked down the cloth covering his throat and bit down on the exposed skin. His grip on the blond’s waist tightened in shock, and he made a small noise of pain as Cloud shifted his angle slightly, sinking his fangs deeper into the brunette’s neck and sucking. Zack shuddered at the feeling. The tingle of the Mako through his skin, combined with the sudden, mildly rough, pain and close proximity of Cloud’s warm body were doing things to him that he was fairly sure were not supposed to happen to someone being  _ drained of their life force _ .

He shuddered as Cloud swiped his tongue along the wound to keep any blood from escaping. “Cloud-” he choked out, shuddering again as the blond simply pressed closer. Damn it, he was not supposed to be getting  _ turned on _ from being  _ attacked by a vampire _ . The fact that said vampire was Cloud, the adorable spitfire blond with a stubborn streak and fierce loyalty to his friends, notwithstanding, the fact remained that his Mako and his blood were being drained and it wasn’t supposed to feel good it was supposed to be horrifying and not- 

Zack let out a groan as Cloud swiped his tongue along his wound again, the burn and Mako tingle working together to feel  _ very _ good and-

He stumbled backwards, pressing his back against the door to hold himself up and gripping Cloud’s waist tighter as the blond moved with and against him. His awareness blurred, until he was hyper aware only of Cloud pressed against him. His head dropped back to allow the vampire more access, and his eyes fluttered as his gaze slowly turned hazy. He was feeling more lightheaded, and very… floaty… as the minutes passed. “Cloud…” he groaned softly, head rolling slightly as he weakly squeezed the blond.

Cloud hummed against the brunette’s neck, feeling much better now that he’d fed some. He was stronger, and the hum of Mako had returned back to his veins. In fact, he was feeling positively wonderful. He’d drunk nearly his fill and-

Too much. He’d taken too much. He hadn’t eaten in two weeks, he shouldn’t be taking so much from one person and it was  _ Zack _ and-

“Oh  _ hell _ !” He jerked back and fumbled for a cure that he always carried on him. He quickly used it to close the wound and keep Zack from losing anymore blood. The dark haired male was already looking dazed, eyes hazy and head lolling slightly. “Fuck,” Cloud swore softly. “Fuck, Zack. I’m sorry. Shit, I didn’t mean to- ah  _ hell _ .” He shifted, ducking beneath his friend’s arm and taking on some of his weight. “Come on, you need to sit down. Well, you need a hell of a lot more than that but it’s a start.”

Zack hummed agreeably, stumbling slightly as Cloud guided him to the couch. The blond got him settled against the cushions and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and a warm wet cloth. He moved back to the couch and kneeled down next to his friend.

If he could still call himself that.

He gently tilted Zack’s head to the side and wiped at the remaining blood on his neck with the cloth. There wasn’t much he could do about the blood that had already seeped into Zack’s shirt, but at least he’d cleaned him up a little.

He set the cloth on the table and picked up the glass of water, pressing it against Zack’s lips gently. “Drink,” he advised the brunette softly. Zack hummed hazily and opened his mouth. Cloud carefully got him to drink, then set the empty glass on the table. He dropped down onto the couch next the Zack and pulled out his PHS, going to the web and looking up ways to help someone with blood loss issues. He didn't usually have to do this, as he didn't normally take so much.

Dammit, he’d been  _ careless _ ! Not only had he attacked and hurt his best friend, but he’d also exposed himself to said best friend.

He closed his eyes, a shudder running through him.

Zack  _ knew _ . And considering Cloud had just attacked him, he had absolutely no reason to stay quiet about what Cloud was. He should have been more careful, should have hunted down more monsters. Or should have eaten before he left on the mission, just in case. But he didn’t, and now he’d exposed himself and attacked the last person he’d wanted to hurt and-

“You’ve got that look on your face that says you’re beating yourself up again.”

Cloud jerked and glanced over to see Zack watching him, haze starting to clear from his eyes.

“Zack-” he started, then faltered. “I…” He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I fucked up,” he blurted out, clenching his hands together. “I- this wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t- you weren’t-” With a groan, he unclenched his fists and buried his face in his hands.

A hand fell on the back of his neck, rubbing soothing circles into his skin. He shuddered, closing his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, opening them again.

“Hey, I’m not mad. You’re gonna have to explain this though, ‘cause…” Zack shrugged, “Well, this isn’t exactly normal.”

_ Yet _ , Cloud thought, eyeing the slightly dazed look still in Zack’s eyes.  _ You’re not mad yet _ . He set his PHS on the table and sighed. “I will. I’ll explain everything. Just… give it a little while. You need to recover some more.” He gaze fell on the empty glass. “More water is a good start.” He was procrastinating, and he knew it. The smart, realistic thing to do was to get Zack the water, explain his entire situation, then disappear to the barracks for a few days. Or, better yet, not bother with the water, go down to the barracks and pack up his stuff, and disappear forever. If he left now, he could probably get a few hours head start on ShinRa forces. It was the smart thing to do.

He got up and got the water, sitting back down next to Zack.

Sometimes he really hated his ethical code. The one that insisted that Zack deserved an actual explanation when he was fully aware of himself.

With a sigh, Cloud resigned himself to a potentially painful conversation with Zack when he fully recovered.

Maybe he’d survive the situation.

**. . .**

Zack drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of Cloud next to him. Aware enough to notice that he was still there, at least. He couldn’t really focus much beyond that.

Kunsel’s snickering was what pulled him back to full consciousness. He blinked blearily at the other, confused at the amusement.

“Wha-” he yawned, “What’s so funny?”

Kunsel smirked at him. “Just admiring the long-overdue view.” He nodded to Zack’s side. “Finally made a move, huh?”

Zack blinked again, then looked down. Cloud was curled up against his side, fast asleep. He carefully poked the blond’s cheek, and Cloud’s only response was to shift his head slightly and let out a small sigh.

Zack felt his lips curling up at the adorable sight, then caught himself and whipped back around to look at Kunsel. He had to stop and close his eyes for a moment as the world started spinning, and took a deep breath to combat the lightheadedness. The pounding of his temples didn't stop, unfortunately.

He opened his eyes to see Kunsel frowning at him, and gave a small, sheepish smile. “Yeah, uh… no. I uh… I actually didn’t. This is the result of…” he paused. It was Kunsel, who was his other best friend besides Cloud, and he trusted him with everything, but… this was a different situation than some ridiculous, if awesome, prank, or stupid stunt that got him hurt. It was Cloud’s secret to tell, too, and despite what logic might dictate, he was  _ not _ going to rat out his best friend. He cared for him too much for that.

On the other hand, he suddenly had the pressing need to tell  _ someone _ . And yeah, he could probably tell Aerith. She probably wouldn’t tell, and it didn’t actually affect her at all. But she was also being watched by Turks who might overhear, so… nope. Kunsel was really the only other possibility and… well, he could probably keep a secret from  _ anyone _ . It was  _ Kunsel _ after all. Besides, who could he trust if not Kunsel?

“ _ Cloud’skindathevampireandheattackedmeandwebothpassedoutandendeduphereand…. _ yeah.”

Kunsel stared at him for a moment, unresponsive as he processed what Zack had said. Then he took a deep breath, and let it all out in an explosive sigh. “Either you’re joking to get back at me for the last prank, or I am very much going to need alcohol for the next conversation.”

Zack considered that for a moment. “Alcohol would be good,” he mused, “Alcohol would be very good. That's a really good idea.”

“You don’t get any, because if you passed out from blood loss, and you got Mako drained, then you’ll need something to help replenish it. Alcohol will not help that.”

Zack whined, “But I need it toooo.”

“No. You get coconut water and orange juice.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“You’ll live. It’ll help replenish your blood supply.”

Zack pouted as his roomate left to the kitchen for a few minutes, then came back with the glass and a bowl of strawberries. “Seriously, this is going to be disgusting.”

“Just drink it, Zack. The strawberries will help with the taste.”

“Yeah right,” Zack muttered rebelliously. Kunsel ignored him and returned to the kitchen.

Zack did as he was told, pout in full force when Kunsel returned with more food. He ate it sulkily, while Kunsel messed around with his phone patiently.

When he finished, Kunsel grabbed the dishes and took them to the sink, then returned, tossed a blanket to Zack, and sat down on the loveseat to his left. He stared at him firmly.

“Explain.”

Zack huffed, and carefully draped the blanket over Cloud to avoid waking him up. “There’s not much to explain. Cloud’s the MV, and I was his snack.” Then he winced. That had sounded better in his head.

“Something you’re absolutely torn up about, I’m sure,” Kunsel snorted. “That’s not what I meant, though. Cloud is many things, but stupid is definitely not one of them. Up until now he’s been extremely cautious, never letting anyone see him, never leaving any tracks, and certainly not attacking anyone inside HQ.” Kunsel folded his arms. “The fact that he did all three in regards to you means that something must be up. Unless this was his way of confessing his secret to you, which I honestly doubt. At the very least, he probably wouldn’t have passed out afterwards if that was the case.”

Zack frowned at him. “Well, yeah, that's kinda obvious. He seemed pretty out of it, actually. When I first saw him I thought he was hurt. I mean, he's been on a mission for the past two weeks. He was all dazed, kinda like how people get when they haven’t slept in a few days, and he was really pale and sweating, like he was sick. I got him inside and was trying to get him to tell what was wrong when he jumped at me and…” he reached up, rubbing the now-healed skin, “well, bit me.” He felt heat starting to rise to his cheeks as he remembered both the feeling and his reaction.

Kunsel smirked at him again. “And I’m sure you’re horrendously traumatized by it too, if your reaction is anything to go by.”

The blush appeared in full force. “Shut up, Kunsel.”

“Don’t even, you are head over heels for each other and it’s so obvious it’s painful. Though I guess this adds a bit of a complication,” he mused thoughtfully.

Zack scowled at his friend, rubbing his cheeks as though it would make the redness disappear. “That’s not really important right now, and I don’t see how this complicates, or changes, anything.”

Kunsel tilted his head in such a way that, despite wearing a helmet, told Zack that he was raising a brow skeptically.

“It doesn't- Well, okay, so maybe it complicates things a  _ bit _ , but not like, irreparably. And it doesn't really change too much. At least, it shouldn't. Hopefully.”

“Well, unless we decide to tell someone-”

“Which we  _ won't _ , because Cloud is our  _ friend _ -”

“-my friend, your crush. And we'll have to cover for him, and figure out what happened. And make sure it doesn't happen again. I can guess approximately what happened, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something.”

“Yeah.” Zack glanced down at the sleeping blond. “Hey, Kunsel? This… doesn't change too much, right?”

“In terms of personal relationships, hopefully not. I don't see why we should change towards him considering the known information. The general situation on the other hand…” Kunsel considered it for a moment, then shrugged. “I hope you've gotten better at lying to Angeal.”

“… Shit.”

**. . .**

Cloud sighed, shifting slightly and taking in the sensations around him. He was curled up against something warm, with something wrapped around him. There was a low murmur of voices, with a slight vibration of the warmth beneath his head. He shifted again, reaching his hand up to cover his yawn as he opened his eyes. He blinked sleepily, looking up to see glowing blue eyes watching him in amusement.

“Morning, chocobo-head,” Zack teased. “Sleep well?”

“‘m not a chocobo,” Cloud mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, fighting back another yawn. He curled up closer to Zack, pulling the blanket wrapped around him closer. “Mmm, you're comfortable.”

He heard Zack muffling a laugh. “Good to know,” he managed out, amusement coating his voice.

Cloud pouted, looking up at him wide blue eyes. “You’re laughing at me,” he accused. There was something- A feeling that he was forgetting something. A sense of painful guilt that he needed to address. But what-

His eyes widened in sudden horrified remembrance and he jerked back with a gasped “Oh  _ hell _ -”. His hand missed the edge of the cushion and he tumbled backwards off the couch headfirst, getting tangled up in the blanket on the way down.

There was a moment of silence, before a burst of laughter broke it. Laughter that was not Zack’s.

“Truly,” the voice snickered, “-the vampire is a dangerous creature full of grace and deadliness.” A spike of ice shot down his spine.

“Kunsel!” Zack protested. “That’s mean!”

“He takes out SOLDIERs, Zack. He’s probably as strong and resilient as we are. A tumble off the couch isn’t gonna hurt him.”

“That’s not the point!” Cloud could distantly hear the pout in Zack’s a voice.

It was a miracle that he could hear  _ anything _ over the loud thrumming of his heart. He couldn’t breath, and he was shaking. Of course Zack wouldn’t keep it to himself. He’d attacked him, and he was a danger to the company, and it would be practically treason to keep it to himself. Cloud was dead, or worse, and he should have just left and run. Maybe he could have outrun the company if he’d left last night. Now he had a snowball’s chance in hell of escaping and-

“Cloud?” Zack tugged the blanket off of him, and he flinched at the sudden light. Zack’s eyes widened as they fell on Cloud, and he immediately slid to kneel down next to him. “Cloud, breath. C’mon.”

He  _ couldn’t _ . He was trying, couldn’t Zack see that he was trying? But the air wouldn’t come, the bone-deep terror he felt blocking out everything else. No matter how much air he breathed in, it wasn’t doing anything. It wasn’t staying. It wasn’t staying, it wasn’t staying, he couldn’t stay, why hadn’t he just left-

Zack reached out towards him and he instinctively flinched, half-expecting to be struck down then and there. It was what SOLDIER  _ did _ , they eliminated threats to the company and he was listed as a  _ threat to the company _ -

No blow fell, and Zack pulled him against his chest, running his hand through Cloud’s hair and talking to him. Telling him to breath, to calm down, that he was okay, that he wasn’t going to be hurt. Cloud clung desperately to those words, hoping against all hope that he could believe them. He was shaking, and he could feel the tears on his cheeks. But as Zack held him, he found that he could breathe again. The fear was still there, still overwhelming, but at least he could breathe. But with the fear there was guilt. Because what had happened shouldn’t have happened. He should have been more careful, should have taken precautions, shouldn’t have gotten to the point where he would attack his  _ best friend _ -

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, voice weak and shaky, but he had to get it out had to let Zack know that he hadn’t meant for what happened to happen, hadn’t mean to hurt him, “I’m so sorry, Zack. I didn’t- I was careless, I made a stupid mistake, I didn’t mean to-”

“ _ Cloud _ ,” Zack cut in firmly, tilting his head up to look at him. “It’s alright. I kind of figured that out already. You were acting pretty out of it, and you seemed pretty damn desperate.” He rubbed the back of Cloud’s neck soothingly. “I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re… not?” Cloud blinked up at him, bewildered. That didn’t make sense.

“Like I said, you seemed pretty desperate. And you’re beating yourself up about it, which makes the idea of holding it against you seem like a kinda dick move.” He squeezed Cloud gently. “So no, I’m not mad at you.” He frowned, “Actually, I said last night that I wasn’t mad at you.”

“Last night you were seriously out of it from blood loss,” Cloud mumbled, wiping at his face as he slowly calmed himself down. Damn it, now his eyes were itchy on top of him being miserable and confused.

Wait, how long had he been asleep? They'd gotten back around midnight…

“Well, yeah, but I mean… I still meant it,” Zack shrugged.

Cloud sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You’re weird,” he responded weakly, unable to think of anything else to say.

“You’re one to talk,” Zack grinned, bumping their heads together. “Vampire.” He shook with sudden laughter. “And here we all were expecting someone intimidating.”

Cloud shakily smacked him on the shoulder. “Hey!”

Zack continued snickering, before shaking his head and attempting to subdue it. “Anyway, I believe I was promised an explanation?”

Cloud winced, but nodded. Then glanced at Kunsel with uncertainty. The Second Class was leaning back on the loveseat, tapping away on his phone as usual, though there was an amused tilt to his lips that showed that he was still listening.

With a soft sigh, Cloud attempted to push himself back up on the couch. Attempted, because his shaking arms gave out the moment he put any pressure on them, and he collapsed forward. Zack caught him easily, and helped him up on the couch.

Cloud sent him a weak smile in thanks, then pulled away to curl up on the opposite end of the couch. He hooked his arms around his knees, pulling them to his chest, and tried to find the best way to explain. Zack turned until he was facing him, sitting cross-legged and watching him expectantly. Kunsel closed his phone as well and turned his head to look at the blond, though his eyes were hidden by the helmet, as usual. Cloud took a deep breath and began.

“I don’t know the specifics, as far as I know it was some sort of accident. When I was nine, I was… I fell in a Mako spring near the reactor. I hit my head on a rock when I wa… when I fell, so I was out for… a while. Less than an hour, I think, but long enough for the Mako to… to change me. I was sick for a few days afterwards, before I started to get… hungry, sort of. Like… no matter how much I ate or drank, it wouldn’t go away. An aching in my stomach, and a sort of burning in my throat. Like when you go too long without eating or drinking. I didn’t… I didn’t know what to do, so I eventually went back to the pool. At that point, I was just desperate to make it stop, so… I drank some. And it helped. A lot. I was expecting for it to make me more sick, but it didn’t. So… I started doing that pretty regularly. Had to, if I didn’t want to starve to death. I found out that I could get Mako from- from other things as well. That was an accident too. I went out on a hunting trip for a few days, and got trapped in a cave system by a blizzard for about a week. There were monsters in the caves, so I didn’t have to worry about going hungry for food, and I could melt the snow easily enough for water, but…” He shifted slightly, uneasy about explaining this to them.

He knew that it must be showing in his tone, in his rushed words, too fast to allow for any questions, but he just wanted to get it over with. “There were no Mako springs in the caves, so I didn’t have any way to stop my… thirst. Eventually, I got desperate again, and when I was attacked by a Sonic Speed… I saw its glowing eyes and just… bit down.” He shuddered slightly at the memory, uneasiness increased. “That was when I first realized I had fangs. They’re…” He reached up and touched lips, eyes flicking away, “… retractable, so… I’d never needed them before. Anyway,” he shook his head, “that was how I figured out that I could get Mako from other things. I would have stuck to sneaking into reactors to drink but when I reached Junon, and then here in Midgar, I found out that Mako from reactors outside of Nibelheim make me sick for some reason. It’s fine if it’s diluted by other things,” he nodded towards them slightly, “but pure Mako basically gives me food poisoning.” A small, self-conscious shrug. “Monsters are too diluted for me to live off of, though. They don’t absorb very much, or maybe they just can’t handle very much without dying. I don’t know. But they don’t have enough Mako for me to survive, and the pure Mako from the reactors makes me sick, but SOLDIERs…”

“The Mako is diluted enough to not make you sick, but pure and plentiful enough for you to survive,” Kunsel finished thoughtfully.

“Pretty much,” Cloud nodded, arms tightening around his knees.

“Huh,” Zack leaned back thoughtfully, musing over the information. “That… makes sense.”

Cloud didn’t respond, watching them uncertainly. He was wary, unsure of their reactions. Zack’s expression softened, and he shifted forward towards Cloud. The blond tensed, but didn’t move. It was Zack. Even if he might deserve it, Zack wouldn’t hurt him. He’d made that clear already, several times over. It didn’t stop the jolt of unease in his stomach, or pounding of his heart, or the tingle in his muscles that told him to run. Zack pulled him into a hug, and he let out a shuddering breath, leaning into the brunette. Zack squeezed him gently, rubbing a hand up and down his spine. Cloud closed his eyes and buried his face into Zack’s shoulder.

Maybe… maybe things would be okay.

He hoped.

**. . .**

Cloud spent the next week on guard, skittish and startled by the slightest things. Luckily, he wasn’t the only one.

The two week mission had been rough on everyone in his squad, and they were all jumpy. They’d even started keeping count of how many time Isa pulled a gun on one of them for startling her. Sam kept a hand on the knife strapped to her belt at all times. Jared kept making swings at people, and Myde would jump and dart out of reach any time someone surprised him. Hendrick and Cloud were better, keeping their reactions to small, startled twitches, but it was still noticeable.

“I hate missions that run over,” Sam muttered, flipping her knife at the target on the wall.

“I hate missions that deal with stealth monsters,” Jared responded moodily, flipping through a magazine half-heartedly. Cloud caught a glimpse of a model in a bikini and rolled his eyes.

“Hey!” Myde sat up suddenly, dropping his own magazine, full of rockstars and music albums, on the bed. “Why don’t we go get dinner out on the plate?”

“Where?”

He grinned at Isa. “You know that place near the theater? About a block or so away, called  _ Rhythmic Nocturne _ ?”

“Isn’t that a nightclub?” Sam wondered from her perch.

“Yep!” Myde grinned. “So we go, get food, get drunk-”

“-and get laid,” Jared grinned, sitting up. “Hell yeah, let’s go!”

“Sure.” Sam swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Isa flipped the brunette’s knife back to her. “Sound like a good plan to me.”

Hendrick didn’t even say anything, just stood up and stretched. That was all the confirmation they needed.

Cloud glanced down as his PHS buzzed, and flipped it open to see a text from Zack.

_ From: Zack _

_ Heya Spike! You free tonight? I got a movie and was thinking of ordering a pizza. You game? _

“Sorry guys, I’ve got a better invitation.” Cloud said to his squad before he could think. Then he immediately started inwardly cursing himself. He was so used to jumping at every opportunity to hang out with Zack that he hadn’t thought about the fact that he was kind of trying to avoid him. And he’d had such a perfect way out, too.

“Oh yeah?” Jared grinned at him knowingly. “Got a date?”

Cloud rolled his eyes, face heating up. “No, it’s not a date. It’s never a date. We’re just hanging out.” Unfortunately, his entire unit knew of his not-so-subtle crush on the Second Class, and enjoyed teasing him about it. It annoyed him normally, but with the circumstances now… his chances went from single digits into the negatives. Being reminded of the fact did nothing to improve his sudden reluctance to go.

“Uh-huh,” Isa smirked, “ _ surrreee _ .”

He grimaced at them. “Say what you want, it’s not possible.”

“Sure it is!” Jared crossed his arms mock-severely. “Chin up, trooper! Positive.”

“Right. Positive.” Cloud sent him a flat look. “Do me a favor and go away. I’ll see you tomorrow when you drag your miserable, hungover asses home. Don’t get stabbed in the meantime.”

“Psh, I fully plan on getting stabbed,” Isa winked at him with a suggestive grin, “and hopefully you will too.”

Cloud stood up and pulled on his boots. “Not likely,” he snorted.

Sam patted him on the arm. “It’s okay. We’ve all been there. Though I personally have seen how he looks at you, and I’m pretty sure he wants to jump you.”

“Oh he totally does,” Isa agreed firmly.

Cloud raised a brow, then shook his head. “Whatever.”  _ Maybe he used to be interested… but I seriously doubt he is anymore _ . Honestly, he wasn’t entirely convinced that the movie night wasn’t a trap. They’d done it plenty of times before, but that was… before. Things couldn’t just go back to normal now, right?

Could they?

**. . .**

Cloud hesitated, shifting from one foot to another outside the door. There was still time to retreat, to text Zack that he couldn’t hang out and find a hiding place somewhere else until tomorrow morning. Was this really a good idea?  Why would Zack still want to hang out? Yeah, he may have been surprisingly understanding about the whole vampire thing, but… he couldn’t seriously still want to hang out with Cloud, could he?

But what if he did? What if Cloud was just blowing things out of proportion? Maybe Zack just wanted to pretend it never happened. But why would he-

Cloud shook his head and knocked on the door before he could talk himself into going back to the barracks. He’d already said that he would come, there was no point in chickening out now. Things would be fine.

Hopefully.

Zack swung open the door with a grin. “Heya Spike!”

Cloud gave him a hesitant smile, chest warming even as his stomach twisted. “Hey, Zack.”

“C’mon, the pizza just got here and I’ve got the movie ready to go.” Zack slid his hand up the door, giving Cloud a gap to squeeze through. As usual. “Kunsel got a three day mission that promises to go overtime yesterday afternoon, so it’s just gonna be us.” Also fairly usual, though it was surprising that Zack was okay with being alone with his him after what happened last time. Zack swung the door shut behind them and slung an arm around Cloud’s shoulders with a grin, ruffling his hair. Cloud yelped and tried to shove his hand away, making Zack laugh. As usual. Zack dragged him to the couch and opened the first pizza box, revealing a meat-lovers pizza then flicked the lights off and hit the play button on the remote. He settled an arm on the back of the couch behind Cloud’s head with a piece of pizza in the other. Cloud was settled almost touching Zack’s side, with Zack totally relaxed next to him. As usual. As usual, as usual, as usual. It was all so normal, something that they had done a hundred times before.

But it wasn’t- it didn’t make  _ sense _ . Cloud couldn’t help but be on guard, waiting the other shoe to drop. Waiting for the Turks to step out of the shadows to hold him at gunpoint, or for the Firsts to throw open the door and grab him to drag him off to the science department. It couldn’t just be  _ normal _ . Things couldn’t just- There was no way Zack and Kunsel could just  _ accept it _ and  _ move on _ like nothing had happened. Not considering he had  _ attacked Zack _ .

He glanced up as he suddenly registered that it was near silent, and realized the Zack had paused the movie and was watching him, pizza discarded, looking concerned.

“Cloud? Are you okay?”

“I-” Cloud automatically went to reassure Zack that he was fine, then faltered. He… he really  _ wasn’t _ . “I just…” He clenched his hands, frustrated. “It’s all so  _ normal _ . I just… I don’t understand how you can just… brush it off!”

Zack made a small noise of surprise. “Why not?”

“Because I attacked you! I hurt you, and- and-” Cloud ran his hands through his hair, clenching them.

Zack’s hands settle on his, pulling them down and squeezing them with his own. “You didn’t mean to, you apologized, and you didn’t really hurt me all that much. I’m a SOLDIER after all.”

“But… aren’t you supposed to do  _ something _ ?”

“What, do you  _ want _ me to report you?”

Cloud balked, immediately shaking his head. “Of course not! I just… I want to understand.” Zack’s easy acceptance of everything made him uneasy and nervous, waiting for the inevitable fallout.

The SOLDIER sighed and pulled Cloud to face him. He kept a strong grip on Cloud’s hands, unconsciously intertwining their fingers. Cloud’s face heated up, and he forced himself to focus on Zack’s words. “Cloud, you’re my friend. You haven’t seriously hurt anyone, and all you’re doing is surviving. I’m not gonna be the one to turn you in and get you killed, or worse. That’d make me a pretty shitty friend. Besides,” he sent Cloud a lopsided smile, the one that always made his heart stutter and his face heat up, “I’d miss you too much. Who else would listen to me whine about the Firsts, and stay up ridiculously late watching movies and playing games, and help me do stupid and hilarious shit then lecture me when it gets us in trouble?” He squeezed Cloud’s hands again. “And who else will get my back when I get us into trouble, and then get us out of it, and stick with me even though I’m gonna get us into more?” His gaze was soft, eyes warm. Cloud blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears that he could feel trying to build up behind his eyes.

He tensed for a moment as Zack reached out and pulled him into a hug, then collapsed into the affection, burying his face into Zack’s shoulder. “You're such a sap,” he mumbled.

Zack snickered, ruffling his hair lightly. “You love me anyway.”

Cloud's heart jumped in his chest and he had to force himself not to react besides a snort. “Keep telling yourself that.”  _ He's joking, _ he thought firmly to himself,  _ he's not trying to get a confession. _ Didn't stop him from biting his tongue in order to avoid giving that confession, though.

“Oh, I definitely will. You absolutely love me~!”

“Alright, shut up before you make even more of an idiot of yourself.”

Zack pulled away from him with a scandalized gasp, bringing a hand to his chest. “Well I never-! How rude, how awful, how-”

“-absolutely one hundred percent correct?” Cloud finished with a grin, relaxing and wiping at his eyes. “I know.”

“Little shit,” Zack accused, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

“You love me,” Cloud mimicked teasingly.

“Damn right,” the brunette nodded.

Heat immediately rushed to Cloud’s cheeks, and he coughed. That was not what he had expected. Though he probably should have, knowing Zack. “Yeah sure, whatever.”

Zack bumped him with a grin. “Aw, look at you being all shy.”

Cloud hid his face in his hands as it turned red, “Shut up,” he mumbled.

“Nope,” Zack chirped cheerfully. “You ready to watch the movie now, or are you still freaking out?”

“I’m fine,” Cloud mumbled, rubbing his still-red face.

“Good.” He slung an arm around Cloud’s shoulders. “So you’ll stop avoiding me?” His hopeful look made Cloud feel a spike of guilt.

“You noticed?”

“It was a bit hard not to,” Zack admitted. “I missed you. I mean, it’s basically been three weeks. Two for your mission, and one you’ve been avoiding me…”

“Sorry,” Cloud sighed, “I was just… freaking out over everything, I’m not used to people knowing. It’s never happened before.”

Zack shrugged. “I get it. But I’m not gonna rat you out. You’re my friend.”

Cloud leaned into his side, burying his face into his shirt. He absently noticed that Zack smelled as good as usual. “Thanks.”

Zack squeezed him. “Don’t mention it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnngg, this took forever and I feel like nothing actually happened. I’m sorry.
> 
> But now Zack and Kunsel know, and Cloud’s accepting that they know. And they’ll run interference for him if needed. And the sexual tension is established. Cloud is insecure, and Zack is concerned. Kunsel is just amused by everything,
> 
> They’re good friends.
> 
> Now, I need to figure out the next plot point (I’m making this up as I go along, if you couldn’t tell.) Maybe-  
> Turks. I need to get what the Turks think-
> 
> Nvmd, I know what I’m doing next. So look forward to Turks next chapter~! (However long it takes.)
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Wings, out~!


End file.
